The capital of the Great Ning Dynasty was located in the south. After winter set in, the sky was perpetually overcast, which only deepened the gloom in the black-robed woman's heart.
"Useless! They called you the number one beneath the Golden Core realm in the academy, the 'Fairy of Nether Moons,' yet you couldn't even deal with Bai Shengyi. What a waste!"
Bai Murong, the woman in black, cursed as she made her way to the Duke Rong's mansion.
As the child of a Prison Fiend King and a human, Bai Murong, due to her human bloodline, couldn't directly command lower-ranking Prison Fiends. However, her royal bloodline had bestowed upon her the innate divine abilities of the Prison Fiend race, commanding respect and preventing anyone from bullying her.
That was why, when she and Qing Buli attempted to assassinate Bai Shengyi last time, all the Prison Fiends had avoided her upon encountering her.
It was a pity, though, that after narrowly escaping death, her cultivation, painstakingly accumulated over decades, had vanished overnight. Her physical body was also gone.
Having grown accustomed to being human, Bai Murong had to pay a heavy price to reconstruct her body. As soon as she regained her human form, she eagerly sought out Yun Youyue to deal with Bai Shengyi.
To bolster Yun Youyue's chances, she even presented the inheritance of Venerable Xiu Yuan to Yun Youyue. Yet, even with all that, Yun Youyue had still failed!
Bai Murong was furious to the point of exploding.
As she walked along, still seething, she was caught off guard when a patch of skin on her hand seemed to cave in. Her brows immediately knitted together.
"This new body is so fragile. I need a few more Golden Cores to replenish it. It's a shame all the Golden Cores in this corner are so reclusive and rarely venture out. Alas, it seems I'll have to go find my dear grandfather."
Bai Murong sighed softly, then raised her head. When she looked at the servants of the Duke Rong's mansion, her face had already assumed a gentle and amiable smile.
"I'm back."
"It's Second Miss! Second Miss is back for the New Year!"
The Duke Rong's mansion hadn't been this lively in a long time.
Before Bai Murong left for Shenqi Academy, she had had an unpleasant parting with Duke Rong, Bai Sicheng. However, the servants of the Duke's mansion were unaware of this. In their eyes, Bai Murong was still the gentle, dignified, and promising Second Miss. Thus, everyone was delighted to see her.
Duke Rong, sensing the potent and pure spiritual energy emanating from Bai Murong, and for reasons unknown, didn't say anything.
"Grandfather, I missed you so much. I was passing through the capital on my travels, so I came back to wish you a Happy New Year!"
Bai Murong strode forward, as if all the unpleasantness of the past had never happened. She supported Duke Rong's side as she always did, pushing the steward aside.
"Have Third Sister and Eldest Brother not returned yet? I specifically reminded them before I left," Bai Murong said with a gentle smile, concealing the probing intent in her eyes.
Duke Rong stamped his walking stick. "Don't mention those two scoundrels!"
After all, she was his granddaughter, whom he had doted on and cherished since childhood. Duke Rong found it hard to be harsh with Bai Murong. Coupled with her soft words, the two were soon chatting and laughing.
"Grandfather, although the past half-year has been a bit tough, I found it quite interesting. My cultivation has improved, and I've also learned a special medicinal refining technique. Let me demonstrate it for you, and you can give me your expert opinion?"
In just this short while, Bai Murong had already ascertained the situation at the Duke Rong's mansion.
Whether it was Bai Sicheng and Bai Shengyi's doing or not, Duke Rong seemed completely unaware of her affairs at the academy. He didn't even know about things she had written in letters sent home.
While this made her current actions more convenient, recalling how she had still considered family ties and written to Duke Rong for help while at the academy, a trace of cold resentment flickered across Bai Murong's lips.
Unbeknownst to Bai Murong, Duke Rong was filled with regret. If only he hadn't instructed the steward to destroy those letters Bai Murong had sent home. He wondered how much hardship their Rongrong had endured outside.
He decided to carefully examine those letters later to fully understand Rongrong's situation at the academy and to compensate for his neglect over the past half-year.
A hint of guilt surfaced in his heart. Naturally, Duke Rong readily agreed to his granddaughter's request.
"Of course, let Grandpa see our Rongrong's skills as a medicinal refiner!"
With that, he instructed the steward to order the kitchen to prepare more of Bai Murong's favorite dishes and accompanied her into the specially built medicinal refining room of the Bai family.
Meanwhile, outside the Duke Rong's mansion, Bai Yu returned in haste immediately after emerging from a secret realm.
Standing at the entrance, he saw the bustling activity within. The servants' discussions reached his ears without omission.
"Second Miss is so filial. Ever since she returned, our mansion has become so lively and happy."
"Indeed, the Duke was just scolding those few people."
"It's no wonder our Duke is scolding them. As people age, they always wish for their juniors to accompany them. Look at this vast Duke's mansion. The Patriarch is absent, the Young Patriarch and Eldest Young Master are at the academy, and Second Master is still holding a grudge against an elder and unwilling to return for so many years. I'd scold too..."
Bai Yu's footsteps halted abruptly.
"Second Master!" The steward, with a keen eye, spotted him and hurried out to greet him. "Are you back... home..."
He was too excited to speak, thinking that the father and son's relationship might finally thaw this year. But Bai Yu, with a blank expression, interrupted him.
"Bai Murong is back? And Shengyi and Sicheng are not here?"
"Yes."
Bai Yu turned and left.
"Second Master, won't you have dinner with the Duke before leaving?"
"He has someone to dine with now."
Bai Yu let out a cold laugh and his figure vanished into the street.
"Ah! What is all this!" The steward sighed and shook his head, then hurried back, instructing a servant to remind Duke Rong not to forget mealtime.
However, a moment later, the servant ran out as if he had seen a ghost.
"It's bad! Something has happened! The Duke is in trouble!"
The steward's heart sank. He rushed over.
Besides the masters, only the steward had permission to enter the Duke Rong's mansion's medicinal refining room. As the steward stood at the doorway, he could smell the strong scent of blood.
When he opened the door, he saw Duke Rong lying in a pool of blood, as if gnawed at bite by bite by rats. The Second Miss, Bai Murong, was nowhere to be seen.
The steward collapsed onto the ground.
Then, he immediately cried out, "Quick! Go find Second Master! Inform Young Patriarch and Eldest Young Master about Bai Yu Yue!"
Chaos erupted in the Bai family.
Bai Shengyi, during her closed-door cultivation yesterday, had felt inexplicably uneasy, so she ended her seclusion early.
As soon as she emerged, she learned that the academy's seed candidates for the Shenqi Grand Assembly had finally been finalized!
This list had been undergoing selection for a month. It was likely due to the inability to delay any further that it was finally decided.
The matter of the Shenqi Grand Assembly concerned the outer continent, so it was not publicly announced. Instead, it was treated as a secret mission, distributed to each of the selected seeds on the list.
Coincidentally, out of the fifty people on the list, fourteen were among Bai Shengyi's cohort of assessors.
Luo Feihua and Feng Wuya, upon learning that Bai Shengyi had emerged from seclusion, immediately came to Bai Shengyi's small courtyard. After obtaining Bai Shengyi's permission, the two called their friends, sending messages to all their companions to gather when they had time.
Although the others had not yet arrived, Feng Wuya couldn't contain his desire to share.
"Of the fourteen from our batch, besides fellow daoist Ximen, fellow daoist Hua, Sister Li, Chu Tianle, Chen Qiyang, and us, Yan Pingyun and Bai Yiyi have no background. Qi Zhou Zhengping and Hu Ying are from the royal family of the Qi Zhou Kingdom. Sun Ling is the second young lady of the Sun family. Xia Lingling is from a collateral branch of the Xia family, and Jiang Pengyu is the young master of the Jiang family."
Feng Wuya, clutching a handkerchief, sighed, "Truly a gathering of immortals, making one tremble with fear."
Hearing Jiang Pengyu's name, Bai Shengyi couldn't help but think of the Jiang family in Wuyue City, which consequently soured her impression of Jiang Pengyu.
She shook her head, dispelling these thoughts, and asked the question that had been lingering since she saw the list: "Why isn't Feihua on it?"
She could understand why Zhu Wu and Xun Meng weren't on the list, as their combat power wasn't very high. But Luo Feihua was a beast tamer.
Not to mention, she had now contracted a second spirit beast, and one that could fight like three.